Electric time clock



Feb. 21,!1933. l L; REICHOLD 1,898,893

ELECTRIC TIME' CLOCK Feb. 21, 1933. L. RElcHoLD 1,898,893

ELECTRIC TIME CLOCK Filed May 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hfmnd ELEMENT Patented Fel).A 2l, 1933 UNITED STATES PATEN'n OFFICE y LUDWIG REICHOLD, F WINBTED, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 THE FITZGERALD MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 0F WINSTED, CONNECTICUT,

CUT

A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTI- ELECTRIC TIME CLOCK Application led lay 28, 1981. Serial No. 540,747.

This invention relates to improvements in electric time clocks, and more particularly concerns the circuit controlling elements of such mechanisms.

One of the features of the resent invention is the provision of a simp e circuitacontrolling mechanism lfor attachment to#u a clock. j..- ,Y i

Further, the invention provides also means for adjusting the parts whereby the controlling of the circuit may be effected at any desired time.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of circuit controlling devices which permit the control of the operation of a current consuming device through a relay in such manner that the relay coils and the circuit closing contacts are normally free of current, and areonl energized at the moinent of actuation andI for a limited period of time.

Still another feature of the invention is the rovision of a time clock having timing meciianism for controlling circuits which is employable in a circuit system including a thermostat and a relay whereby a heating element may be controlled both as to the time of the beginning and the end of the heating operation, and as to the temperature maintained during the heating period.

Other features of the invention reside in particular details and arrangements of parts, and in the further features as will appear in the course of the following specification and claims.

An illustrative form of construction according to the invention is set forth on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a face View of a clock having circuit controlling elements associated therewith, with portions successively broken away to show the arrangement of the parts.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit controlling elements connected with a thermostat and relay for controlling a heating element.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail, with certain parts separated for clearness.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to the upper part of the circuit controlling elements in Figure 2.

In these drawings, the case 10 contains a clock mechanism which .is illustrated 1n Figure 2 as comprising an assembly of a synchronous driving motor with the necessary'gearlng contained within a housing 11 and adapted to drive the minute hand 12 and the hour hand 13. The front of the case has a crystal 14 in front of the usual figure dial 15, which latter is illustrated as secured to the housing 11.

Between the dial 15 andthe crystal 14 are mounted two rings 16, 17 (Figures 2 and 5) of insulating material, which each have the inwardly extending fianges 18, 19 and thus provide between them a groove in Iwhich are mounted the metallic front adjusting ring 20, a stationary metallic ring 21 in contact therewith, a separating washer 22 of insulating material which maintains the ring 21 spaced from the rearward fixed metallic ring 23, and the rear adjusting ring 24 of conductive material. The insulatlng rings 16 and 17 are secured together by screws 25 to hold the several rings 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 together.

The front ring 20 has a rearwardly turned dog 20a (Figures 1 and 2) which preferably extends more than half the distance toward the rear ring 24. This rear ring 24 has a similar dog 24a which likewise extends preferably more than half the distance toward the front ring 20. The peripheries of both rings 20 and 24 are toothed, and respectively mesh with the pinions 26, 27 (Figure 1) located on shafts journaled in the casing 10 and having the knobs 26a, 27a on the exterior of the casing.

The fixed ring 23 has an outwardly extending lug 28 with a rebent end 29 thereon to which a conductor 30 may be connected. The lug 28 preferably extends through a notch in the insulating ring 16, wheeby the stationary ring is held against rotational movement. In similar manner the ring 20 is provided with a lug 31 extending throng the insulating ring17 and having a rebent end portion 32 to which a conductor 33 may be attached.

Fixed to the hour hand 13 is a plate 40 Figure 4) preferably having the stiienin ange 41 at its edges. rlhis member pre erably extends around the hand stad portions of the clock mechanism and has an opening 42 through which such portions may project, as well as a stamped loo or stirrup 43 into which the point of the our hand may be inserted for securing the parts in fixed relative position. The lower end of the member is cut awaynear the center to provide the lateral bifurcated portions 44, 45. The contact closing rocker comprises the contact end 46 and the biurcated arms 47, 48 which are respectively pivoted to the bifurcations 44, 45, the plane of .the pivots preferably lying half way between the rings 20, 24. A. snap spring 49 is connected to the rocker and to the member and tends to rapidly move the rocker, after it has passed a central position of dead center, into an end position. In such end position, the contact end 46 is in engagement with the adjusting ring 20 (full line position in Figure 2) or with the adjusting ring 24 (dotted line position in Figure 2).

In Figure 3 is shown a circuit arrangement in which the fixed rings 21, 23 lare illustrated, for the purpose of showing the contact arrangements, as capable of being engaged by the contact end 46. The thermostatic bar 50 has a contact 51 which is closed when the bar is heated to a predetermined temperature, and a cold contact 52 which is closed when the bar is cooled to a. predetermined temperature. Conductors 5,3, 54 are connected to any suitable source of electric current, and lead through a main switch 55, to a heating element 56, and to the moving relay blade 57 of an`electromagnetic relay switch having the magnetic rockable core 58 which may be moved from the left hand position shown in Figure 3 into the right hand position upon energization of'the on coil 59, or back into illustrated position by energization thereafter of the off coil 60. During such movement the relay blade 57 is rapidly moved, when the on coil is energized, from the position shown in full lines into contact with the fixed contact 61, by the agency of the snap spring 62. Such a switch construction has been set forth, for example, in my co-pending applications Serial No. 506,70, filed January 5, 1931,'5 and Serial No. 524,711, filed March 23, 1931, to which reference is made for details of construction and assembly. When the off coil 60 is thereafter energized, the relay blade 57 is moved back into the full line position in which it is in engagement with the fixed Contact 63.

When the parts are in the position shown in the diagram of Figure 3, and the hmain Vswitch is closed, current can flow from conductor 54 by conductor 540, the thermostat bar 50, the cold contact 52, conductor 67 clock element 40, the rocker and Contact end 4 6, the on ring 23, conductor 33 through coil 59, conductor 68, contact 63,

relayblade 57 back to conductor 53. The

coil 59 when energized attracts the amature 58 and causes the relay blade 57 tol be moved from contact 63 to contact 461, thus opening the control -circuit which has energized the coil 59. Current can now flow from conductor 54 through the closed switch 55 and heating element 56 to contact 61, with a return through the relay blade 57 to the conductor 53.

As the tem erature rises, the thermostat bar 50 leaves t e cold contact 52 and finally engages the hot contact 51. Current can now flow from conductor 54 by conductor 54a, thermostat bar 50, contact 51, con.

ductor 65, coil 60, conductor 66 to contact 61, through thev relay blade 57, and thus back to conductor 53. The of coil lis thus energized 'and pulls the armature 58 and therewith moves the relay blade 57 from engagement with contact 61 back to engagement with contact 63, thus interrupting the How of current through the heating element 56, as well as the ow of current through the off coil 60.

When the associated structures have cooled so that the thermostat bar 50 again engages the cold contact 52, the rst aforementioned circuit is re-established through the on coil,'and the relay is again Aoperated to energize the heating element 56.

1fthe member 40 comes opposite the do 24a, and the rocker is moved thereby unti ultimately the contact end 46 passes over to the od ring, then the aforementioned circuit through the on coil 59 is interrupted at this rocker, and the circuit through the heating element 56 may no longer be reestablished when once opened. If the thermostat is then en aged at the cold contact, current may ow from conductor 54 through conductorv 54a, thermostat bar 50, contact 52, conductor 67, elements 40, 46, to the olf fixed ring 21 and thence by conductors 30 and 65 to the coil 60, with a return by conductor 66, contact 61, relay blade 57 back to conductor 53. The energization of the oli coil causes the relay blade to open the circuit through the heating element 56 in the manner described above.

Thus in Figure 1 the hour hand is at 6 oclock and the contact end of the rocker is engaged with the oli ring 20. When the hour hand reaches 8 oclock the rocket and contact end 46 will begin to ride on the dog 20a, until ultimately at approximately 8:30

ioo

the rocker will have been moved past the f' v46 is brought against the opposite adjusting ring 24, and at the same tlme any possible circuit leading to the ring 20 is interrupted. Further, owing to the existing electrical contact between the ring 24 and the stationary ring 23, current can now flow in the manner prescribed above, through the on coil 59 to close the main circuit.

Thereafter, it will be noted that no current flows to the ring 24 owing to the interruption at the relay blade 57, so'that there is no liability of arcing or fusing at the engagement between the rocker contact end 46 and the ring 24, and these parts may be made relatively light. In general, it will be noted that the clock contacts serve only to close the circuit, while the circuit is opened at the relay contacts, where a much greater power is available through the energization of the coils 59 and 60.

As the hour hand continues to move, the rocker is ultimately brought against the dog 24a, at about 9:45, and thus finally is caused to snap away from the ring 24 at 10: 15 and into engagement with the ring 20, so that a further circuit may be established as described above through the off coil 60. Here again, the circuit through the controlling coil is immediately interrupted by the operation of the relay blade 57, and

` hence there is no current flowing in the clock mechanism normally, but only for short periods of time as controlled by the thermostat or movement of the rocker, and such currents exist only long enough to energize the coils 59 and 60, to move the relay blade.

The attendant may move the adjusting rings 20 and 24 into any desired position with respect to one another by moving the. external knobs 26a and 27a. It will be noted that the dogs 20a, 24a are visible through the crystal around the edges, but that there is no encumbrance which `obscures the dial lettering.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited solely to the form of construction illustrated, but that it may be employed in many ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Havlng thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An electric circuit making and breaking structure for connection to a. clock movement, comprising a conductive rin mounted substantially concentric with the Iland staff of the clock movement, a member fixed to a clock hand and moving in rotation therewith, a rocker carried by the end o f said member and adapted to be engaged with said ring when in one rocked position 'and to be freed of said ring when in another rocked position, means to hold said rocker in either rocked position, and a conductivecam piece on said ring for moving said rocker from its position in engagement with said ring to its position out of engagement with said ring.

2. In a circuit making and breaking device for attachment to a clock mechanism, a

air' of insulating rings having internal suraces and inwardly projecting flanges, said rings when joined together providing a groove of circular section, a air of conductive adjusting rings movab y mounted in said groove, a pair of fixed conductive rings each electrically connected with an adjusting ring, insulating spacing means between said conductive rings, each of said adjusting rings having a conductive cam portion thereon, a member carried in rotation b a clock hand, a rocker pivoted on said mem er and adapted to selectively engage one or the other of said adjusting rings, said rocker being engageable by one of said cams to move said rocker from engagement with the surface of said ring past a dead center position, and means to move said rocker from the moved position into contact with the other adjusting ring.

3. An electric circuit making and breaking structure, comprising a shaft, means for rotating said shaft synchronously, a rocker carried in rotation with said shaft and movable about a rocker axis at a right angle to the shaft axis, a conductive ring concentric with the shaft and conductively engaged by said rocker in one position of the latter, a cam iece adjustable Aangularly with respect to said shaft and engafreable by said rocker during its movement with the shaft whereby to cause the rocker to be moved to a position out of engagement with said ring, and means for holding said rocker in either position.

4. A structure as in claim 3 in which said holding means comprises a spring connected for movement with said shaft at one side of said rocker axis and connected to said rocker at the other side of said rocker axis.

In testimony whereof, I affix myisignature.

LUDWIG REICHOLD. 

